Captain America's Shield
: "That thing does not obey the laws of physics at all!" : ― Spider-Man Captain America's Shield is the primary defensive and offensive weapon used and owned by Steve Rogers. The original shield that Rogers carried into battle was made of steel and was shaped like a traditional heater shield. Later, Rogers adopted his more well-known, discus-shaped shield which was made out of vibranium. During the Battle of Earth in 2023, the vibranium shield was destroyed by Thanos. After travelling to an alternate timeline, Steve Rogers procured the vibranium shield and brought it to the original timeline, where he bestowed it to Sam Wilson. History USO Shield Steve Rogers, who was given a new reason to fight with the death of Doctor Abraham Erskine, was denied active duty in World War II, but was instead send to tour around the United States in a colourful, patriotic costume as "Captain America" to promote War Bonds rather than be confined to a lab while scientists attempted to rediscover Erskine's formula. During the tours, he carried a heater-shaped shield that was painted to resemble the American flag as part of his propaganda costume. Liberation of Allied Prisoners of War In 1943, while touring to active servicemen in Italy, Rogers learned that Bucky Barnes' unit was lost in battle against HYDRA. Refusing to believe that Barnes, his closest friend, was dead, Rogers mounted a solo-rescue attempt with Peggy Carter and Howard Stark flying him to Austria, several miles behind enemy lines. During the mission Rogers carried the shield from his stage show as a makeshift weapon. Rogers infiltrated the factory belonging to HYDRA, freeing Barnes and the other captured Allied soldiers. Rogers confronted HYDRA's commander Johann Schmidt, who attacked him with a punch that left a dent in the shield. Schmidt then revealed his true face, removing his flesh-like mask to display the red-colored, skull-like face that earned him the nickname "The Red Skull". Schmidt escaped and Rogers returned to base with the freed soldiers. Vibranium Shield World War II The second shield used by Captain America was a prototype made from the only supply of Vibranium that the United States Army had available. Howard Stark presented the shield to Captain America to use as a tool to protect himself from gunfire. It was then integrated into the patriotic motif of Rogers’ uniform, adding a white star to the center and making the three concentric outer circles into red and white stripes. Captain America carried the shield during all of his raids on HYDRA facilities and other missions during the war. As Rogers chased the Red Skull, the shield took a direct hit from the HYDRA leader's energy-based weapon, saving Rogers from disintegration. Rogers carried the shield with him on his final mission, when he was forced to crash the Valkyrie into the icy waters of the North Atlantic, leaving both Rogers and the shield encased in ice. Almost seventy years later, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents stumbled across the crash site of the Valkyrie. Captain America was found alive, and he and the shield were taken to New York City. The Avengers The revived Captain America was asked to join the Avengers, where he again relied on his shield as his primary weapon. On a mission in Germany to capture Loki, he saved an elderly civilian by blocking a shot fired from Loki's Scepter. The shield also saved Rogers' life when it protected him from an attack from a confused Thor, whose attack was deflected, destroying a large area of the surrounding forest. Captain America relied on his shield once again during the Chitauri attack on New York City. Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. In the two years after the Avengers parted ways, Steve Rogers became a full time S.H.I.E.L.D. operative, receiving advanced combat training and field experience that allowed him to learn to more effectively use his shield as an offensive weapon in combat. While performing a number of stealth missions alongside the subdivision STRIKE, the shield was repainted, replacing the red stripes with light blue stripes to make it less conspicuous. During the nighttime mission aboard the Lemurian'' Star'', the shield's colours were muted. HYDRA Uprising To escape the Triskelion, where he was attacked by STRIKE in an elevator, he made a leap of over twenty stories to escape, landing on his shield, to break his fall. In the events leading up to the HYDRA Uprising, Captain Rogers had several run-ins with the assassin known as the Winter Soldier, who, unlike others, was able to block Rogers' shield by catching it using his bionic left arm. During one fight with the Winter Soldier, Steve learned of his true identity as Bucky Barnes, Rogers' best friend that he believed had died during World War II. Because of this, Captain America later refused to continue fighting Bucky after completing his mission to disable the three HYDRA controlled Helicarriers, instead allowing his shield to fall from the Helicarrier. Later, the shield was recovered and left next to Captain America's bedside in the hospital. Ultron Offensive Tony Stark created for the Avengers many new gadgets to fight HYDRA. One of them was Captain America's new uniform, that possessed strong, electromagnetic panels on each of the glove that allows Captain America to retrieve his shield more easily. During the Avengers' Attack on the HYDRA Research Base, Captain America and Thor noticed that the HYDRA soldiers were in a particular formation approaching them. Rogers held up his Shield and allowed Thor to hit it with his hammer; the resulting shockwave caused the operatives to be rendered unconscious. During Rogers' fight with Ultron in the Battle of Seoul, the shield got stuck in Ultron's body and Rogers lost the shield in the street. Black Widow, pursuing the combatants on her motorcycle, noticed the shield on the ground, scooped it up, and returned it to Captain America. The shield saved Rogers from flying debris that came through the windshield of the train as he ordered Scarlet Witch to use her powers to stop its movement. Captain America and Thor used the shield and Mjølnir in tandem during their fights against Ultron Sentries. Rogers would toss the shield into the air and allow Thor to hit it with his hammer to increase its speed as a projectile weapon. Avengers Civil War Steve Rogers was arrested for fighting German Special Forces along with wanted criminal, Winter Soldier; his shield was confiscated. After Rogers escaped from the facility in Berlin, his shield was recovered by Agent 13, who returned it to him. The shield was removed from Captain America's grip by Spider-Man when he made an appearance in Germany, siding with Iron Man, surprising Rogers and his allies. Hawkeye fired an arrow which carried Ant-Man, placing him on the shield. Lang then grew to normal size, and returned the shield to Rogers. During the ensuing battle at Leipzig/Halle Airport, Black Panther was able to scratch the shield with his vibranium claws. Both Captain America and Winter Soldier used the shield interchangeably during their fight with Iron Man, with Captain America using it to break off Iron Man's mask and then to pierce his Arc Reactor, shutting down Stark's suit. As Rogers began to walk away with Bucky, Tony angrily told him that he did not deserve to have the shield, as Howard Stark, his father, made the shield. Rogers then paused to drop the shield and walked away. Stark later took the shield and brought it back to the Avengers compound, changing his mind and deciding to keep it safe for if Rogers returned. Prototype Shield As Tony Stark was moving Avengers inventory from Avengers Tower to the New Avengers Facility, Happy Hogan mentioned that a new prototype for Captain America's Shield was one of the precious items on the Stark cargo plane. Returned to Steve Rogers Tony Stark eventually repaired the scratch on the shield and stored it in his garage. After he completed the time travel devices and went to the New Avengers Facility, Stark brought it along and gave it to Rogers. During the final confrontation with Thanos, Captain America carried this shield along with Thor's Mjølnir to fight against the villain. Unfortunately, it was broken by Thanos' brute force, leaving Steve with a fractured shield. Alternate Vibranium Shield Given to Sam Wilson After Steve Rogers used time travel to return to the 1940s and create an alternate timeline, he obtained that timeline's version of his original vibranium shield. By 2023, he returned to the original timeline, bringing the alternate shield with him and passing it down to Sam Wilson. Capabilities USO Shield Captain America's original shield was a heater-shaped shield that was made of a relatively sturdy metal that allowed Captain Rogers to rely on it as a viable weapon in battle. The outer surface of the shield was painted in an American Flag motif, with an area of blue with three white stars across the top, and a series of vertical red and white stripes running down to the point. The inner surface had the appearance of a polished brass plate and had mounted leather handles that allowed it to be held. This shield was mostly used as a melee weapon to attack enemies directly and provide some protection from gunfire and debris from explosions. After its surface was punched in by the Red Skull, Captain America abandoned the shield. Vibranium Shield After entering World War II as a fully recognised soldier, Captain America switched to a special, discus-shaped shield made of Vibranium provided to him by the Strategic Scientific Reserve. This shield appeared to be composed of four concentric sections, with fittings on the inner surface for two leather straps that allow the shield to easily be held and worn on Captain Rogers' arm. The straps would later be replaced by an electromagnet that would connect to another electromagnet worn at the hand and forearm during the Attack on the HYDRA Research Base. Captain America relied heavily on the shield as a weapon that was balanced in both defensive and offensive capabilities. Made from Vibranium, it is able to absorb and reflect kinetic energy, enabling it to withstand impacts that would break a shield made of any other material. The shield's centre is also highly deflective. It was able to deflect flying projectiles- as demonstrated when Rogers was able to ricochet a concentrated fire of high calibre bullets from a minigun back at his enemies- and also reflect the impact of Mjølnir to cause a massive shock wave. It was also discovered to be incredibly effective at deflecting or diffusing attacks from energy based firearms such as those developed by HYDRA, Iron Man's repulsor beams, or the guns used by the Chitauri. The vibranium shield also demonstrated that it can be used to cushion falls from great heights. As an offensive weapon, the shield’s discus shape and Vibranium composition make it powerful as both a close-quarters melee weapon and a thrown weapon. In the hands of a trained fighter like Captain America, the shield is a strong melee weapon, using the flat surface and blunt outer edge of the shield to strike enemies in vital areas. In the right hands, the shield is also an exceptional ranged weapon as its Vibranium composition and broad, curved shape allow it to easily move through the air when thrown while maintaining nearly constant velocity and momentum. One of the most unique attributes of the shield is its ability to ricochet after striking a solid surface when thrown, losing very little of its momentum, allowing it to strike several targets, and, if aimed properly, return to the thrower. The shield originally had a reflective, shiny grey appearance due to its Vibranium composition. However, the shield was later painted to match the appearance of Captain America’s uniform, placing a white star in the centre, surrounded by blue, and making the three outer rings into red and white stripes. During modern stealth missions the red sections of the shield would temporarily be covered with a light blue colour to make it appear less conspicuous. Category:Items Category:Weapons